Art and the Transitional Object in Vernon Lee's Supernatural Tales

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book Art and the Transitional Object in Vernon Lee's Supernatural Tales by Patricia Pulham, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Patricia Pulham ISBN: 9781351957106
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: March 2, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Patricia Pulham
ISBN: 9781351957106
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: March 2, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

In her persuasively argued study, Patricia Pulham astutely combines psychoanalytic theory with socio-historical criticism to examine a selection of fantastic tales by the female aesthete and intellectual Vernon Lee (Violet Paget, 1856-1935). Lee's own definition of the supernatural in the preface to Hauntings questions the nature of the 'genuine ghost', and argues that this figure is not found in the Society of Psychical Research but in our own psyches, where it functions as a mediator between past and present. Using D.W. Winnicott's 'transitional object' theory, which maintains that adults transfer their childhood engagement with toys to art and cultural artifacts, Pulham argues that the prevalence of the past in Lee's tales signifies not only an historical but a psychic past. Thus the 'ghosts' that haunt Lee's supernatural fiction, as well as her aesthetic, psychological, and historical writings, held complex meanings for her that were fundamental to her intellectual development and allowed her to explore alternative identities that permit the expression of transgressive sexualities.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In her persuasively argued study, Patricia Pulham astutely combines psychoanalytic theory with socio-historical criticism to examine a selection of fantastic tales by the female aesthete and intellectual Vernon Lee (Violet Paget, 1856-1935). Lee's own definition of the supernatural in the preface to Hauntings questions the nature of the 'genuine ghost', and argues that this figure is not found in the Society of Psychical Research but in our own psyches, where it functions as a mediator between past and present. Using D.W. Winnicott's 'transitional object' theory, which maintains that adults transfer their childhood engagement with toys to art and cultural artifacts, Pulham argues that the prevalence of the past in Lee's tales signifies not only an historical but a psychic past. Thus the 'ghosts' that haunt Lee's supernatural fiction, as well as her aesthetic, psychological, and historical writings, held complex meanings for her that were fundamental to her intellectual development and allowed her to explore alternative identities that permit the expression of transgressive sexualities.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Self-Regulated Learning and Academic Achievement by Patricia Pulham
Cover of the book Sport Funding and Finance by Patricia Pulham
Cover of the book Reason and Morality by Patricia Pulham
Cover of the book Philosophy of Law by Patricia Pulham
Cover of the book Baal's Priests by Patricia Pulham
Cover of the book Get into Nursing & Midwifery by Patricia Pulham
Cover of the book The City in Central Europe by Patricia Pulham
Cover of the book Beyond the Body by Patricia Pulham
Cover of the book Women and Gender in Postwar Europe by Patricia Pulham
Cover of the book Nurturing Natures by Patricia Pulham
Cover of the book Urban Change and the European Left by Patricia Pulham
Cover of the book How Organisations Measure Success by Patricia Pulham
Cover of the book Strategies for Shaping Territorial Competitiveness by Patricia Pulham
Cover of the book Business Ethics by Patricia Pulham
Cover of the book Culture and Social Psychiatry by Patricia Pulham
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy